Benjamin Barr Lindsey (1869-1943), American jurist and reformer, founded the juvenile court. His arguments favoring a loose construction of marriage vows helped modernize understanding of the implications of marriage.

Benjamin B. Lindsey was born in Jackson, Tenn., on Nov. 25, 1869, the son of a Confederate soldier. He attended Southwest Baptist University. Financial necessity forced him to go to work. In despair over his slow progress in his law studies at Denver, Colo., he attempted suicide, but his gun misfired. He was admitted to the bar in 1894 and was soon involved with cases for the poor and young. Because of his Populist sympathies and democratic ideals he distrusted Colorado politics, but his services gained him the position of public administrator and guardian in the county court. In 1901 he was elected county judge.

Soon Lindsey began his long battle on the behalf of children, sponsoring laws that shielded them from criminal...